Bartender Wisdom: 'More Than Just a Drink'

We've referred to bartending in the past as a paint-by-numbers game. You can fill those numbers with any color you like and it will always make a picture. Sometimes it will be gorgeous, sometimes it won't. But it'll always work.

Listening to what someone wants and giving them what they want means more in New York. People like that.

We work in a tequila bar, but a bulk of our drinks aren't necessarily tequila-based. Some people recall a bad college memory. I have some of my own.

I know which way Kyle is going to move if I need to get around him, to hold still while he reaches. It's almost like a dance for us.

If I look over and I see a group of girls flirting, responding really well to him, I think, Way to go, Kyle. He made their night. That's great.

When we go to a bar, we want more than just a drink. We can make a drink at home. A lot of our bar patrons can pour a vodka soda at home, and a lot of them can make their own Manhattan exactly how they want it. You go out to the bar because you want the whole experience.

Most of our family thinks we jumped off the deep end. Our parents don't drink. The last thing our parents drank was a Harvey Wallbanger. Or whatever they had back then.

I always had this haunted feeling when I was working in the corporate world. I wanted to do something creative. You don't get creative in finance. You get in trouble, usually.

Bartending is not an industry that is susceptible to economic times. Maybe people will spend less on what they're going to drink, but they're still going to drink.

The world of alcohol brightens as many souls as it darkens. But I think it brightens more so.

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